Day 16

A beautiful day for our wine-tasting adventure!  First to Beyerskloof near Stellenbosch - a vineyard which specializes in Pinotage grapes and makes excellent wines.  After sampling a variety of Pinotage varieties, we were back on the N1 and drove across Sir Lowry's pass in a high mountain range to the Thandi winery and farm kitchen, where we enjoyed a delicious lunch and another wine tasting.  Thandi grows grapes for Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon.  In 2003, Thandi became the first winery in the world to achieve Fair Trade certification. Thandi’s aim is to empower previously disadvantaged farming communities. With support and mentorship from leading players in the fruit and wine industries, these communities export top-class produce to countries all over the world.  Their love and passion (Thandi means "nurturing love" in Xhosa) has quickly given Thandi a reputation for exceptional quality and the project is now being applied to wine and fruit farms in other provinces around South Africa.  We purchased wine and bags of their delicious apples, and promptly fell asleep for our bus ride back to Cape Town.